bridge. >> reporter: traffic is slow but it's not a parking lot. a few hours ago, we tracked a few commuters as they took public transportation. edwin showed us his two tickets he bought. >> this is for tomorrow. i'm doing this ahead of time to avoid the rush. >> reporter: golden gate ferry does expect more riders tonight, so it added a late- night trip and added trips to its weekend and holiday schedule. >> i was on bart earlier and it wasn't busy at all. >> reporter: but susan langford told us she made sure to avoid areas where there might be problems in i was in san francisco tonight, and i had to travel out over the golden gate bridge instead of the bay bridge. >> reporter: she also avoided this commute on the first morning. bart reports that ridership soared this morning. to keep things running

smoothly, ac transit offered bart commuters service to and from the stations. >> in the morning, it was really packed. a lot of people. >> reporter: but there were those who couldn't avoid the freeways. we saw stalled drivers trying to get to the east bay, heading north in heavy traffic, around 2:30 this afternoon, which is why drivers like susan langford have a plan for this weekend in. >> i expect to stay home. ha ha! >> reporter: you're looking at traffic at the golden gate toll plaza tonight. the san francisco bay ferry just told me their ridership was up 57% this morning. that's not even factoring in tonight's evening commute. and bart is expected to give us an update on their ridership tonight, in just about an hour. >> and ktvu's sal castaneda is monitoring how the bridge closure is impacting traffic. and sal, the last couple of times that we checked in with

you, things looked pretty rough. is it still bad out there? >> reporter: yes, julie. and i think today is going to be the worst day. i think by tomorrow people will say, you know what? i don't think i'll deal with this again. this is a live look from newschopper 2 at northbound 101. believe it or not, the traffic starts before the golden gate bridge, right near where jade was standing. it heads up through the tunnel and all the way through sir francis drake boulevard. these commutes are not better. my advice to you, if i had to do it, i would just wait. i mean, i know sometimes you can't wait. but if you can wait a couple of hours, it will be much, much better. i also want to show you, we're looking at the east shore freeway, that is also very slow. also, we talked about the san mateo bridge. road centers are all red from san bruno to san mateo. and halfway across the span or

almost all the way across, we're expecting this to get better but not until after 7:00 this evening. let's go back to the desk. we are also getting a look at the progress that work crews are making on the new eastern span. mike mibach just got an update and is live at the toll plaza. mike, what are they telling you? >> reporter: well, no glitches and on schedule, frank. that is the headline tonight, coming from caltrans. right now, behind me, the trucks are lined up. the grinders are over there, grinding up the roadway. the majority of the roadway here on the eastern side of the toll plaza is gone. then they're gonna start repaving it over the next 12, 24 hours. it is quite an impressive sight, all leading up to what caltrans says will be an impressive opening to the new eastern span. small trucks. big trucks. all types of trucks. converging this afternoon. they were on schedule to complete this massive project. first we take you to the approach to the toll plaza. >> the demolition, grinding and paving, that's what we're gonna

be seeing for the next 24 hours. >> reporter: crews grinding away, two the six inches of old roadway, and pouring in thousands of pounds of new asphalt. they're also pounding away at the deck of the old span, all while smoothing out the new span on its connection to yerba buena island. >> then they'll put a protective overlay to maker that a clean, smooth drive in. >> we'll install a seal later today. on the lower deck, we prepped it. >> reporter: is it impressive standing right below the new tower of the eastern span? you bet! and i'm not alone. >> i love the new bridge! >> reporter: bryan is chief engineer of the new span. >> i'm a nerdy engineer. i accept that. we're competing against time. you don't know when the next earthquake will happen and i guess the bottom line is, as a community, as a community,

everybody involved won. >> reporter: ktvu's eric rasmussen is out there on the new span right now, picking up some new information. he'll have his story live tonight on the 10:00 news. back out live here, you can see some of the grinding going on out there. again, they are grinding the old roadway. then they're gonna bring in the news new asphalt and put it down. that is the latest here. live in oakland, mike mibach, ktvu channel 2 news. and ktvu has continuing coverage of the bay bridge closure and its impact on traffic. sal will be back with another check on road conditions. plus, we'll tell you about the work going on right now to demolish the old span. and we're always here for you on ktvu.com. just look for our special section under hot topics. we have some breaking news right now. a suspicious package found at san jose state. maureen, what can you tell us

about what happened? >> reporter: i'm on the campus at san jose state university. shortly before 6, we heard a boom. we need to tell you that san jose's police bomb squad have responded here to the campus to investigate this suspicious package near tower hall and moore's auditorium. tower hall was evacuated. here's some of the crime tape that surrounded a big portion of san jose state. essentially, the center of campus was shut down while police investigated this. again, i told you, in the last ten minutes, we heard a boom. we are now told that was part of the process for the bomb squad to determine what the suspicious package was. we can now tell you it was not a bomb. san jose state university says it might be a book but it was definitely not a bomb. police had destroyed that. part of the campus is still shut down. but the university says that classes and the home game, which is off campus, the home football game tonight, they say that is also not affected. we got word that the suspicious

package was not a bomb. police expect to clear the scene in the next hour. >> maureen, just one quick question. was that loud explosion inside or did they take the suspicious package, which turned out to be nothing, outside and then explode it? >> reporter: the suspicious package was found near the hall, outside. i am currently surrounded by dozens of students. you could feel the boom in your chest. it was loud, it was thunderous. they said farther away it sounded like a rifle. those closer to the scene could physically feel this. i heard students scream and they were kind of nervous. a lot of people gathered here at the crime tape to figure out what was going on. but after that loud boom came the good news that the university says, again, this was not a bomb. >> all right. well, that certainly is good news. the headline right now, a

suspicious package at san jose state. they have since destroyed that package. and as maureen just reported, it turns out it was not any type of explosive device. and the football game there at san jose state will go on as scheduled. well, san jose is considered a new proposal tonight to hire more police officers, a lot more. this comes after years of cutbacks and a bitter fights over pensions that resulted in many officers leaving the department. ktvu's robert handa is live in san jose and tells us this new plan is stirring controversy. >> reporter: that's right. there have been a steady flow of officers leaving the department, ever since the city and union began its fight over pension reform. now the mayor and a council member are proposing a plan to restore staffing. but all it did was cause another bitter war of words. the city of san jose and the police officers union say it will take about 200 new police officers to restore staffing. that's all the two sides agree

on. today they proposed a four-year police restoration strategy designed to fill all current vacancies, restore wages by at least 10% and add 140 new positions, raising the budget level. but how to pay for it? >> we obviously hope to get some from pension reform. that's being litigated. we might get some from a tax measure. but as we do get additional revenues, we'll have a plan in place. >> reporter: the police officers association called the proposal empty promises and said, in the union's opinion, mayor reed and councilman ricardo are responsible for the problems with the department. >> we have skyrocketing crime and we have officers leaving in droves from other departments. this is not a plan to get that to slow down. i'm very disappointed that this is the best they could come up with. >> we did absolutely the right thing then. i would do it again today if we

were in the same circumstance. the good news is, we're in different circumstances today. >> reporter: the city council will take up the restoration strategy at a public study session on tuesday. for some, it can't start too soon. sources tell me there are at least 10 officers who have already taken steps to take jobs with other agencies or to retire within two months. live in san jose, robert handa, ktvu channel 2 news. right now, san jose has 915 active duty sworn officers. and that doesn't include officers on leave. that's for a city of just under one million people. san francisco's population is more than 812,000. its department has 1600 officers. and in oakland, 297 officers are on patrol, serving a population of just under 396,000. san jose police announced today the arrest of an elementary school teacher on child pornography charges. police say they arrested 39- year-old brian westphal of san jose after finding at least

2,000 images of child pornography on his computer. investigators say westphal has worked since 2006 as a substitute teacher in san jose's oak grove elementary school district. detectives say they have turned up no evidence of any lewd behavior with any of the students there. at this point, there is no word whether westphal has entered a plea to the charges. dozens gathered in front of city hall today to protest a significant rent increase for section 8 tenants. housing advocates say those who depend on federal section 8 housing will have to pay at least 10% more for rent as a result of sequestration cuts in washington. >> my rent was 472. now it's going to be 700- something. my income is the same but my rent is going up. so this is really hurting. >> people here that are facing these devastating increases are going to end up living along the river this winter. >> organizers say about 17,000

people depend on section 8 housing vouchers in silicon valley. they say it will have a terrible affect on the elderly, as 57% of those who receive section 8 are seniors. right after the break, pulling the old wipe-and-swipe. how crafty thieves used innocent children. plus, some big temperature swings ahead. in 8 minutes, i'll break down how much temperatures could rise and then fall in the next 48 hours. and coming up, a giant paycheck. we reveal who gets to cash in on the giants' costly mistake.

did nana ever give you cheerios when you were a little kid? yeah, she did. were cheerios the same back then? cheerios has pretty much been the same forever. so...when we have cheerios, it's kind of like we are having breakfast with nana...

yeah... ♪ yeah. you're so smart. it's not the crime that's unusual but the unique employ at a bay area studio that some robbers are accused of.

david stevenson spoke with the owner of the studio and he joins us now live in san francisco. >> reporter: prosecutors say this is an unusual scam. it's one that's prompted them to lock their doors. and their children. blair says she new something was wrong from the moment the family walked in. >> it felt like it was a setup and obviously was. >> reporter: she says a group of parents, a man and a woman, toting a one-year-old and a two- year-old, came to the studio last week. one of the women asked to use this bathroom to help clean up the sick baby. >> but she can go -- she didn't go in the rest room. >> reporter: prosecutors say one of the women stole a client's purse from a storage shelf and took off. >> the woman was claiming that she thought it was her purse. so my client said, okay, well, let me just snap a photo of your idea, that way if anything

is missing i know how to get in touch with you. the woman refused and punched her in the chest. >> two of the individuals are in custody. they're being charged with commercial burglary, child engaging and a couple of other counts. >> i didn't even think about it being a theft, because there were kids around. and then once it happened, i was like, what a mastermind. >> reporter: the studio now locks its door. and they use a buzzer to ring in familiar faces. >> taking advantage of people's goodwill is particularly bad, especially in this family neighborhood. >> reporter: police arrested one man and a woman, both of san francisco. a third suspect, a woman, is still being sought. reporting live in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. the rim wildfire burning in and around yosemite national park has now grown to more than 192,000 acres. it's still only about 30%

contained. more than 4800 firefighters are battling this wildfire. thousands of homes and outbuildings remain in danger tonight. mandatory evacuations are in place for some communities. cal fire says the estimated containment date is september 30. san francisco water officials are still closely monitoring hetch hetchy reservoir. a crew from the public utilities commission traveled to the kirkwood powerhouse to repair the infrastructure. that hydroelectric plant provides power to several san francisco public agencies. back now to our continuing coverage on the bay bridge project, as we count down to the scheduled opening next tuesday morning. sal castaneda has been keeping a close eye on the evening commute for us. and sal, there have been some big backups tonight. >> reporter: there certainly has been. we're looking at the marin county commute, from our newschopper 2. northbound 101 all the way up to the golden gate bridge has been very slow.

again, we're expecting it to be a little better tomorrow as some people can stretch out this labor day weekend to four days. traffic has also been busy this morning -- that's a slipup, since i do traffic in the morning. this afternoon. it is slow. kind of does look like a morning commute. east 80 doesn't look all that bad. we have still a lot of red on the road sensors, showing you traffic on the san mateo bridge heading eastbound. my advice to you is if you can put it off for another hour or so, things will start loosening up. demolishing the old bay bridge promises to be a time- consuming process. the steel on the old bridge is 80 years old. some is cracked. some is rusted. engineers have to use old

construction documents and they say that will help them decide to best way to take apart the bridge safely. they estimate the entire demolition will take about three years. and our coverage continues at ktvu.com. you'll find a link to streaming live cameras. plus, you'll find a list of resources to help you get around during this closure. well, as advertised, a few neighborhoods back up to the mid and upper 80's. the warming trend continues for one more day. temperatures for this afternoon, they range from 65 in pacifica. san jose, 81. mid to upper 80's inland. you can see fog developing offshore. that fog will impact your visibility right near the immediate coastline. back into the bay, first thing friday morning, also. current temperatures, still showing some 80's for fairfield and livermore. san jose, upper 70's. and downtown san francisco, 64 degrees. forecast headlines for tonight, mostly clear skies except for fog on the east.

tomorrow morning, dense morning fog near the coast. it will be the warmest day. on the weekend, temperatures do come down a bit with a sun- cloud mix. overnight lows, mid 50's to lower 60's. santa rosa, 56. san jose, 63. this area of high pressure warms us up once again, one more day, into friday. we're talking about 92 to 94, possibly 95. this other system moves in this weekend. this will be the source of some cooling for saturday, sunday and monday. and also, a few extra clouds. if you are heading to lake tahoe this evening, smoke will be a key factor from the rim fire. saturday, sunday, possibly smoke, especially out towards south lake tahoe. here is our forecast model to showing you the fog tomorrow morning. then higher clouds moving into the region throughout the day on saturday. the main focus will be on the southern half of the region. more clouds once again sunday morning. by monday, there is a slight chance of a light shower. that is for monday morning on

labor day. temperatures for tomorrow, one of the warmest days of the week. santa rosa, 91. vacaville, mid 90's. rim of the bay, upper 70's. over the hills, you'll find the heat. san jose, a forecast high of 85. these temperatures checking in right about 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. san francisco, dense fog in the morning, temperatures in the 70's. tomorrow, temperatures spike. and then we go the other direction for labor day. a slight chance of showers monday morning. >> thank you, mark. coming up on bay area news at 7 on tv 36, many drivers today forced to go with plan b. >> the bay bridge closed, and bart platforms were crowded. how big a day this could be for the transit system. >> also, why knowingly sending someone texts who is behind the wheel may lead you responsible if that person crashes. join us at 7 on tv 36. the a's have been on a roll

against the tigers. this afternoon's game, it went right down to the 9th inning. up next, what happened.

this portion of ktvu channel 2 news brought to you by... the san francisco giants

have paid back more than $544,000 in back pay and damages to 74 employees. the u.s. department of labor found the giants made some workers sign an agreement that they would be paid $55 for working five and a half hours a day. the problem is, the workers actually worked an average of 12 to 15 hours a day, without getting overtime. the giants were off today. the a's probably wished they were off today. >> let's kind of do this glass have full kind of thing. it's important to remember, first of all, that oakland won three straight games in detroit. but today's series finale, well, it has to be one of those gut-wrenching moments that comes from knowing they stood one away from a sweep. matt scherzer was trying to join the group of pitchers to start the season 20-and-1. he serves up a fastball. that's a two-run homer. how hot is brandon moss? moss rips his own two-run

homer. in the fifth, a's led 6-1. moss, ten runs batted in in this series. closer grant balfour said he had nothing today. he was right. next, torii hunter. don't hang a slider! mmm! he hung it. that's a walk-off. tigers come back to win 7-6. the nfl is about to compensate some retired players with concussion-related injuries. commissioner roger goodell has agreed to a settlement without the nfl having to admit to any liability. payoffs are prorated. but some players will receive as much as $5 million as compensation. this video shows taiwan jones winning a $200 bet against his teammate.

yes! he hurdles over the top of a bmw! taiwan jones, you're scary! and impressive. watch to our "return to glory" special, followed by a live broadcast of the oakland raiders' final exhibition game of the preseason. tonight on the 10:00 news, we're continuing to monitor the progress of crews on the bay bridge. and why police are returning drugs to a man. tonight at 10.

. it is a new regime for the oakland raiders but the clock is ticking on second year coach allen. we will have an exclusive interview and the regular season hasn't started yet and already a quarterback quanldry. and an old-timer headed for the hall of fame is back for one more run. charles woodson and a return to glory right now. how is it going everybody. we welcome you to return to glory and that is exactly what the oakland id